that's not the right answer for america. >> reporter: veteran journalist jim lehrer moderated the debate. he focused most of his questions on the economy. obama criticized what he called romney's $5 trillion tax cut. >> how we pay for that, reduce the deficit, and make the investments that we need to make without dumping those costs on to middle-class americans i think, is one of the central questions of this campaign. >> reporter: romney said he had no intention of introducing such big cuts. he shot back with repeated references to the unemployment rate, 8.1%. it could be the most frequently recited number in the campaign. >> going forward with the status quo is not going to cut it for the american people who are struggling today. >> reporter: obama and romney are fighting over voters in a handful of states. those americans could swing the election either way. the candidates have one month and two more debates to win them over. mami mochizuki, nhk world, denver, colorado. >> in a cnn poll held soon after the debate, 67% of respondents said romney won the showdown while 25% said obama di